School of Interdisciplinary Studies

Minors

Minors offered by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies are available to students in all majors except for students taking the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. There is no minor offered in Interdisciplinary Studies. Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies are encouraged to take any minor offered by any school at the University. Students may also contact the academic advisor in their major for a list of the courses that satisfy each minor. Students who take a minor will be expected to meet the normal prerequisites in courses making up the minor, and should maintain a minimum GPA of 2.000 on a 4.00 scale (C average). Minors available within the School of Interdisciplinary Studies are:

Minor in Environmental Studies: 18 semester credit hours

This minor will provide students from all majors with a better understanding of environmental issues and the skills to analyze future environmental problems. The name "Environmental Studies" reflects the goal of this interdisciplinary minor to encourage students to learn to view environmental issues from scientific, economic, political, and social standpoints. The 18 semester credit hours of the Environmental Sciences minor enable UT Dallas students to develop expertise in this important area. The framework provides all students with a policy and science perspective and allows students to tailor the minor, through choice of electives, to their individual goals. Students will be strongly encouraged to include an Environmental Studies Internship/Project in their minor though it may not be possible for all students.

The Environmental Studies minor will be housed within the School of Interdisciplinary Studies with a Supervisory Committee consisting of Dr. Elizabeth Salter and the professors of the two required courses, Dr. Lloyd Dumas and Dr. Thomas Brikowski.

Minor in Exercise Sciences: 18 semester credit hours

The minor in Exercise Sciences is ideal for students who are interested in broadening their experience and knowledge base in the study and analysis of principles related to human movement, exercise, and athletics. Students will acquire new information on key domains of the field including exercise physiology, psychological approach to health, nutrition principles, injury prevention, and treatment strategies. Specifically, the minor provides students with an introductory grounding in physiologic principles that help us understand not only how human systems respond to exercise stress, but also how the body changes with chronic exercise stress.

The Gender Studies minor is designed to examine the ways in that gender as a complex social construction intersects with class, race, age, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, and sexual identity; to examine the lives and experiences of groups that have been underrepresented in traditional academic work; and to acquaint students with the fundamental methodologies of women's and gender studies.

Minor in Healthcare Studies: 18 semester credit hours

The Healthcare Studies minor is designed for students from any major who have an interest in pursuing a career in one of the healthcare fields. Students will learn important aspects of the health profession including appropriate terminology and the foundational elements of professionalism in the healthcare setting. Students will also gain an understanding of basic biological and medical principles related to human health and disease, the fundamental aspects of the history or philosophy of healthcare, and psychological, social, or economic issues associated with healthcare or the healthcare system in America.

This minor is well suited for traditional pre-health students (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and optometry) as well as those interested in allied health fields (physical therapy, physician assistant studies, clinical nutrition, etc.), public health, clinical psychology, and counseling. The minor in Healthcare Studies is designed for students from any major who have an interest in pursuing a career in one of the healthcare fields.